* [[Taiyuan]] &mdash; industrial city with a long history, capital of [[Shanxi]] Province.

* [[Tianjin]]

* [[Tianjin]]

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* [[Zhengzhou]] &mdash; on the south bank of the Yellow River, capital of [[Henan]] Province.

==Other destinations==

==Other destinations==

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* [[Zhoukoudian]] - A [[World Heritage Site]] and home to the Peking Man.

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* [[Kaifeng]] &mdash; former capital during the Northern Song dynasty.

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* [[Longmen National Park]] &mdash; home to the Longmen Grottoes, close to [[Luoyang]] in [[Henan]] Province.

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* [[Mount Tai]] &mdash; in [[Shandong]].

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* [[Pingyao]] &mdash; ancient city.

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The itineraries [[Along the Yellow River]] and [[Along the Grand Canal]] cover some routes through the region.

==Understand==

==Understand==

Line 26:

Line 65:

==Talk==

==Talk==

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As anywhere in China, [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]] is the lingua franca; nearly everyone can speak it. The Mandarin spoken in this region, especially around [[Beijing]], is the standard dialect. [[Inner Mongolia]] naturally has many speakers of [[Mongolian phrasebook|Mongolian]], but many of them speak Mandarin as well. [[Russian phrasebook|Russian]] is fairly common as a second language. As elsewhere in China, English is not widespread but some people speak it quite well.

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As anywhere in China, [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]] is the lingua franca; nearly everyone can speak it. The Mandarin spoken in this region, especially around [[Beijing]], is the standard dialect. [[Inner Mongolia]] naturally has many speakers of [[Mongolian phrasebook|Mongolian]], but many of them speak Mandarin as well. [[Russian phrasebook|Russian]] was fairly common as a second language in the Northeast during the Soviet Era and even before that. As elsewhere in China, English is not widespread but some people speak it quite well.

==Get in==

==Get in==

==Get around==

==Get around==

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As elsewhere in China, there is an extensive rail network. Rail is the main means of inter-city travel for the Chinese themselves, and many visitors travel that way as well. The system now includes [[High-speed rail in China|fast bullet trains]] on most major routes; unless your budget is very tight, these are the best way to go &mdash; fast, clean and comfortable.

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All the major cities have airports with good domestic connections; some have international connections as well. See the individual city articles for details.

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There is also an extensive highway network, much of it very good. Busses go almost anywhere, somewhat cheaper than the trains. See the [[China#By_bus|China article]] for more. Driving yourself is also possible, but often problematic; see [[Driving in China]].

Understand

This is one of the areas where Chinese civilisation first developed, along the Yellow River.

Talk

As anywhere in China, Mandarin is the lingua franca; nearly everyone can speak it. The Mandarin spoken in this region, especially around Beijing, is the standard dialect. Inner Mongolia naturally has many speakers of Mongolian, but many of them speak Mandarin as well. Russian was fairly common as a second language in the Northeast during the Soviet Era and even before that. As elsewhere in China, English is not widespread but some people speak it quite well.

Get in

Get around

As elsewhere in China, there is an extensive rail network. Rail is the main means of inter-city travel for the Chinese themselves, and many visitors travel that way as well. The system now includes fast bullet trains on most major routes; unless your budget is very tight, these are the best way to go — fast, clean and comfortable.

All the major cities have airports with good domestic connections; some have international connections as well. See the individual city articles for details.

There is also an extensive highway network, much of it very good. Busses go almost anywhere, somewhat cheaper than the trains. See the China article for more. Driving yourself is also possible, but often problematic; see Driving in China.